For the last month, we have been so grateful to feature Guam-raised, Bellingham artist, Ciara Sana, in our gallery space. Inspired by the powerful women in her life, and using a collection of mediums, Ciara’s work is fun, beautiful, and relatable. Read Community Manager, Veronica Foster’s interview with Ciara below, and find Ciara on Instagram @artbyciara.

When looking for “community”, where do you even start?

As I begin to type this post, there are so many things we could discuss and many different types of community. Humans are simply looking to relate to one another in order to tackle loneliness and to find fulfillment in their relationships. That sounds overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

For the last month, we have been so grateful to feature Guam-raised, Bellingham artist, Ciara Sana, in our gallery space. Inspired by the powerful women in her life, and using a collection of mediums, Ciara’s work is fun, beautiful, and relatable. Read Community Manager, Veronica Foster’s interview with Ciara below, and find Ciara on Instagram @artbyciara.

At the beginning of January, we typically feel compelled to make changes for ourselves. The cyclical nature of life reminds us that there are always opportunities for second chances. A year is a good amount of time to know what is working and what needs to change. The first month of the new year is special. Goals are meant to be broken by February 1, right? Start now! Now that you have reached February, you don’t have pressure to “start the new year right” or compete with the rest of the January goal-setters. It almost feels like a relief to start something for yourself and yourself only.

Here at Makers, we started three coworking challenges that members could participate in and reap high monetary incentives. For instance, we challenged our members to arrive every day before 9:30 am. We also challenged them to attend yoga every week for a new year wellness boost. By participating, they would receive at least a whole free month of membership. External awards usually aren’t enough to maintain good habits after a goal’s deadline has been reached.

For entrepreneurs, and freelancers, money is usually the driving force for business goals, but this doesn’t create a good relationship to goal setting. Many business owners have high aspirations, but it is important to relate those aspirations back to the business values you have set in place. If we are a coworking space and our value is “community”, having a goal to acquire X# of members in a certain amount of time is not enough to cultivate community. As much as owners and investors would like to believe that coworking has a “build it and they will come” framework, that isn’t the case. We need to stay true to what the member community needs.

When looking for “community”, where do you even start?

As I begin to type this post, there are so many things we could discuss and many different types of community. Humans are simply looking to relate to one another in order to tackle loneliness and to find fulfillment in their relationships. That sounds overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.